Question NW3035 to the Minister of Basic Education

Reply:

(a) Entrepreneurship is included in the National Curriculum Statement. The subject Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) is compulsory and is taught in the Senior Phase (Grade 7 – 9). EMS provides foundational skills and knowledge on entrepreneurship. The main topics taught in EMS are the Economy, Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. These are integrated to assist learners to become economically and financially literate by the end of Grade 9 in the Senior Phase. EMS is a practical subject that:

• Equips learners with entrepreneurial knowledge and real-life skills for personal development and the development of the community;
• Deals with the efficient and effective use of different types of private, public and/or collective resources to satisfy people’s needs and wants;
• Introduces learners to the purpose, characteristics, context and functions of formal and informal businesses;
• Encourages learners to reflect critically on the impact of resource exploitation on the environment and on people; and
• Promotes sustainable development practices through teaching learners how to effectively manage scarce resources in order to maximise profit through entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and activities.

EMS also provides foundational knowledge and skills for the following subjects in the Further Education and Training (FET) Band Grades 10 to 12: Accounting; Business Studies; Economics; Hospitality Studies; Consumer Studies; Civil Technology; Electrical Technology; Mechanical Technology; Engineering Graphics and Design; and Mathematical Literacy. A key objective in Technology subjects (Grades 10 -12) is to provide entrepreneurial opportunities for learners.

(b) Learners who do not further their education through tertiary institutions have the opportunity to enrol at Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges (TVET Colleges), apply to participate in Apprenticeships, or enter the world of work, including setting up their own business.